What's Plan B for AT&T and T-Mobile?

After AT&T withdrew its $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile, questions remain about what could be plan B for the carriers, Spencer Ante reports on digits.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

I ... in areas is off eighteen T hasn't run its thirty nine billion dollar bid ... to fight scene mobile what's plan B for eighteen T will have that in some much more ... today on Digits good afternoon him up ... I'm learned that reporting for AllThingsD entering out that today ... is my AllThingsD colleagues ... can't stop that ... and getting Peter Kafka was work and thankfully ... if the ... defense unbanked bossy Journal corporate deputy bureau chief for and there was also wearing pants ... I thankfully ... they had you not ... sell the idea is that we Ardi now eighteen T did not provide me has formally withdrawn its bid to acquire T Mobile its first was back in March and thirty nine billion dollar deal ... with eighteen T Stephen King has great that he is ... what's next what is plan B for eighteen T ... write to the big question facing both eighteen T and T Mobile is built were basically ... betting their future on tying up together now that's not can happen and so ... you know the team T the both of the the the the gym tonight T Mobile is a little breathing room as it negotiated a very you know nice break up fee of three billion dollars plus a tremendous having a roaming agreement ... that gives them a little space to figure out the next move the team T on the other hand ... really needs to serve ... get back to what the basic blocking and tackling of what the local phone company does which is ... building out its network and purchasing spectrum ... and and basically worn out the coverage area across the country and so ... he can see ... you know that what you what are the options for acquiring spectrum you know ... all this deals fallen apart it's interesting to note the horizon which currently ... going around cutting deals are getting on ... fine Apple bought the chores that that was out there from the cable companies most most significantly ... and then also ... eighteen T's can have to really ... pump up its investment in its network while they were negotiating this deal they were cutting back in the capital expenditures because I thought that within a half that you know they're there and get it from T Mobile to another he is he's the big last year for eighteen T no ... additional customers though I wonder ... when will the ... resources to respect in terms of ... that infrastructure and the specter is that what they are not getting ... to me a very big absolutely don't know what other to the customers were were not a priority because the party was the stock from the network assets because ... it's actually really difficult and time consuming and labor intensive to eleven work because ... you have to get ... go to ... each city to get approval to get you know ... our city and that takes time and money and so it can happen overnight so the sun and the options for eighteen T I mean there's been talk that they can still ... do sometimes I venture ardent Investor incisive telecom I would mean that Nehemiah Greitens relationship with Vodafone what else could they possibly do that with ... the disgusted one point that was ... announced when they you know disclose that there were pulling the merger so ... you know ... chances are that it's probably not can happen because ... of ... you know in in all the antitrust implications of concerns ... I think what what likely happened is you know they're going to ... but for the spectrum you know what the potential options that's being discussed right now with dish ... network for it ... the dishes ... off nine percent today and in the stock market because on speculation ... that the team T will strike some sort of deal with the addition of the spectrum there I ... mean is that the cable Comcast income or cable but Specter made it to the bank and were using rise above that the other pockets of spectrum that people ruffling and dove ... using yet will the other ... big thing they're going to do is to make a huge lobbying push in Washington to force the government to ... police more spectrum to some other options are ... the top you know during the budget deficit Hawks if ever I get some gold pass to worse ... you know the TV industry which ... also wants to put on using ... force that even if you choose to voluntarily auction off those assets ... that we go another day ... of focus for eighteen T texture sensor very quickly what is this mean for T Mobile and telecom ... yet to T Mobile you know they're basically they need to figure out their Forte's healthy Rakuten out support the stock and T Mobile really doesn't have any ... so they need to figure out ... how the Knesset go to this next generation ... of wireless where you know ... that the move richer faster and you can ... order smartphone activity on four G so they've got or altar boy George telecoms that they wanna get out of U S market never been as OPTT them outside to eat anymore so ... they're going to sell the somebody else or merger with somebody studio bouts of about one in eighteen T as the runner right ... now ... all the effort to get that guy is it's ... the it's ... worth going ... back and then some time for a lot to me wondering when is the Number